Tag: tour

HTBM through to quarter finals of Bloodstock BOTB

After a rather strange show on Tuesday night at the BOTB for Bloodstock run by the guys behind Mammothfest, HTBM are through to the quarter finals which are next month.

In other Here There Be Monsters news, PK has just left for two weeks in Cyprus with his lovely lady. Even drummers need a break once in a while. The tour tash is gone, bad times. He’s confirmed that he will be starting to grow a new one on his return. Good times!

Ant has started putting together the first instalment of the tour video, which should be out in the next week or so.

As festival season kicks off, we’re looking into sneaking on a couple of bills.

More news next week.

Tour Diary: The Gaff, London

The Gaff - Fucking Hostile

The Gaff - Fucking Hostile

The penultimate show for the tour sees us in London. The Gaff, formerly the Kings Head on Holloway rd is an infamous rock bar. The drive up is OK, no delays today and we strip down some of the gear we have been carrying around all week as we are coming back into Brighton tonight ready for the finale at The Hydrant (Hare & Hounds) tomorrow night.

It’s an early start and the turn out is OK, some guys from Thrash Hits come down to check out the set, but they’re heading off to catch Bastions in Kings Cross straight after. We all hang and have a few beers before hand.It is roasting but the sound is probably the sweetest since Derby and PK’s new bell chimes through perfectly.

Ant - The Gaff, London

Ant - The Gaff, London

Rich throws some shapes - The Gaff, London

Rich throws some shapes - The Gaff, London

Gazatron - The Gaff, London

Gazatron - The Gaff, London

Damnas play after us and despite their guitarist just coming out of hospital a few days later, still with pins in his leg they absolutely tear the place up. Some seriously sick drum fills and a bass player that has fingers of steel.

Unfortunately, we have to leave after their set missing Terrathorn’s headline slot. We hit the road confident that we have slapped London in the face and will be back soon.

Tomorrow is the final show in Brighton. Time to draw some battle lines.

Tour Diary: The Carlisle, Hastings

After a liberal dose of fannying about in Brighton, a trip to GAK drum shop for Pete and Andy who go off to shop for new kit we finally hit the road to sit in traffic for an hour which kinda brings things down a little. Getting a bit sick of Sussex roads after a week on what seems like futuristic shit in the North, Midlands and west country.

It has been a very long time since I last visited The Carlisle in Hastings. It was May day run it got rowdy there were some pool cues swung, some people got bit, and the police took quite a while to break it up.

Most of that was caused by the Landlord. Turns out, he’s still here. Grrrrrreat.

The Carlisle Hastings

The Carlisle Hastings

Hastings. There is very little you can say about Hastings. It is low rent, full of kids and all those kids are drunk with with kids of their own.

We don’t like Hastings. But being the incredibly professional outfit that we are, we check out Rise of the Simians, the other band on this evening. It’s their first show in a year and they’re pretty damn good. Sludgy Doomy growly mess with a guy just making noise with a bunch of FX pedals.

The Here There Be Monsters set is a bit funny. In general it comes out really intense and the guys go mental. It is slightly marred by the aformentioned landlord walking up to Ant between tracks as he introduces the band to pass some uneccessary comments. The guys brush it off without hesitation and cruise through the rest of the set.

Fully Clothed Monkeys

Fully Clothed Monkeys

Ant Unleashes the dogs

Ant Unleashes the dogs

Our place to crash tonight falls through, we were hoping to head straight to London tomorrow just to stay on the road for a little longer. We reluctantly head back to Brighton for beers and Hot Fuzz.

PK rips Tour Monkeys sleep bag in half. Tour Monkey is in fits of laughter for a good half hour and spends the remainder of the night fucking up PK.

FUCK YOU HASTINGS

Wolverine does tea too

Wolverine does tea too

He kinda looks like Tom Selleck

He kinda looks like Tom Selleck

Tour Press

We caught a little shout out for the tour over on Thrash Hits yesterday which is great. Some of the guys are going to be heading along to the show tomorrow at The Gaff too which will be ace.

Quick bit of down time today getting a few more repairs done and then it is off to Hastings for a blitz with Rise of The Simians at The Carlisle Inn.

I will be updating the remainder of the tour diary on Sunday/Monday cuz all our batteries are now DEAD.

Tour Diary: Chichester Inn

Shittest Breakfast in Chichester

Shittest Breakfast in Chichester

After another night kipping in the van at Fleet, we headed to the scenic surroundings of Chichester. Thanks to the tip off from Joff of Mask of Judas, who are headlining tonight, we parked up and headed off to the drum shop on the outskirts of town to get the snare fixed.

Whilst the magic man in the store did his thing Ant started chapping to a chap that came in about his awesome tee to find that he was the new drummer for Trigger The Bloodshed!

Total doss day in the sun relaxing in the Chichester Cathedral gardens which was pretty darn perfect.

We all had a pretty good feeling about the show as it is Mask of Judas’s home town show and they’ve also been on tour for about the same time as us.

Vulgar display of rest

Vulgar display of rest

Tour Monkey even gets a break in Chichester

Tour Monkey even gets a break in Chichester

The Chichester Inn despite being small is a great pub. Another basic setup with a PA but sound was pretty tight.

Here There Be Monsters set was a belter with Ant firing up the people sat in the beer garden watching through the window, despite paying to get in? It paid off because some guy walked up to the merch stand and bought a CD whilst the guys were still playing, Ant had to give him a CD whilst singing, the guy stayed for the rest of the set then left!

Ant brings the pain

Ant brings the pain

Everything went really well with one of the best Amaranthus performances of the tour so far. The boys tore up the floor Barbados rounding up the night with Gaz stood on a bar chair on one side and Ant on another stuck right in with the crowd.

Chichester Inn

Gaz ripping it up

Gaz ripping it up

Chichester Start A War

Chichester Start A War

Mask of Judas are just disgustingly good. Tech/death/metal with a savage female vocalist. Can’t wait to watch them again on Sunday.

Not wanting to cope with another night in the van, we decide as it’s so close it was time to head back to Brighton for some comfort. Hastings tomorrow at The Carlisle. I’ve had some bad experiences there in the past, hopefully it has got better.

Ant Chichester Inn

Ant Chichester Inn

Tour Diary: Oxford Purple Turtle

Oxford… You are one funny ass city.

Bit of a strange day all in all. As we had nothing going on we decided to stay in Bristol for an extra day, Mitch was ace putting us up for one more night just dossed out after a seriously heavy session and watched the footy.

Drove into Oxford which got Pete fairly riled as it was his turn to take the wheel, one way systems, no-through roads a seemingly inaccessible venue and thousands of rich people on bicycles (we added extra points).

Venue was open, no PA, no tech, no promoter and not a lot of anything else. 1st technical issues of the tour encountered with a bass amp that had an annoying high pitch wine and then halfway through sound check Pete’s snare broke. Luckily for us Mask Of Judas are bloody ace and helped us out. We’re playing with them tonight in Chichester at the Chichester Inn and again on Sunday night at The Hydrant in Brighton.

First night that Purple Turtle have put on a live band in years according to the bar staff who were very excited by that premise, unfortunately it wasn’t publicized and the turn out was the four bands playing and a few taggers on.

Played in the dark with a few disco laser lights, which kind of helped. The funk we were all in for the day proved beneficial and a rather visceral set came out of it.

HTBM, Purple Turtle Oxford

HTBM, Purple Turtle Oxford

We parked the van up next to the most amazing mobile take away. Everyone had chips with something from cheese, falaffal and gravy. Pretty special stuff. No real surprise that when nobody could finish their huge portions (bar Pete and Ant) Ant then polished off the remains.

Did our thing but due to the inability to just park up and kip we decided to do a bit of the driving leg for tomorrow and spend the night in Fleet Services. Andy took over driving again. Eventually he will work out the difference between the M4 and M3, second time this week we’ve made a slight detour.

Did give us a bonus of all of us getting a shower this morning before heading into Chichester.

Day Off

Yesterday we hung out in Winchester for the morning watched the Rangers game (Pete got a bit jumpy) then headed to Bristol where today Here There Be Monsters are doing a showcase at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music before bringing it to the masses at The Hatchet Inn tonight.

Sunday Roast, nothing better.

First showers since Friday and a hard floor changed out lives. Not looking forward to Oxford where we will be having to sleep in the van again.

Tour Diary: The Railway, Winchester

Our Derby host Andy is a God. Absolutely amazing company, hilarious and the best host we’ve ever had. Plenty of tea and toast before heading onto the 1-way system of Derby city center.

We’ve spent more hours on the M1 this weekend than anywhere else. Seriously grim accident on the M1 meant we were sat pretty much at stand still for a good hour. A few wrong turns (not problem with the GPS but with the people looking at it!) but we managed to find our way to the Railway Inn in the scenic surroudings of Winchester.

Another show down two blinding sets from Here There Be Monsters and Terrathorn.

Relatively good crowd, first on were to be polite, dedicated but terrible. Nice people as always, but another poorly picked out local slot.

Spent the night in the van. Cosy…. bloody uncomfortable bit of a giggle…

James from Terrathron hung back with us for a few drinks, top chap and wicked front man. This week’s going to be fun.

Sat in a spoons because Winchester is too classy for a greasy joe, big of brekkie, a brew and then it’s off to Bristol. Maybe we’ll find some Penguins.

Tour Diary: The Old Bell, Derby

First day of the Hulk Smash Tour goes smooth like butter.Van is a pile of shit, but hey, you get what you pay for. Several hours spent in Brighton collecting band members, then apparently doing shopping for the next year, and then sitting in the traffic on the M25 only to find more of it on the M1.

Derby is our first stop which turns out is an amazing little town . It would seem drinking is the favored past time and with prices that would make any southerner weep for joy who can blame them.

The Old Bell in Derby, an amazing venue frequented by true rockers hosts tonight’s proceedings. One of two rock bars in the town we are informed, the Bell has a killer space, it’s massive, and the sound is incredible.

The local support are somewhat curious. Lighthouse turn out to be as un-original as their name suggests and not in keeping with the bill are about as AOR, as you can get. Female vocalist, acoustic guitars, they didn’t belong here today, but they did pull in a fair few people, who promptly left as Terrathorn began a smeltering set. The guys will now be joining us for 5 of the dates this week including tomorrow night on their home turf of Winchester and The Gaff in London next weekend.

Terrathorn, The Old Bell Hotel Derby

Terrathorn, The Old Bell Hotel Derby

The turn out is good, and HTBM blitz a solid set featuring some new tunes. We got shit loads of video and pics already but you’ll have to hold on until we get a decent internet connection.

Here There Be Monsters, The Old Bell Derby

Here There Be Monsters, The Old Bell Derby